Gili Islands and Seminyak.

It’s fairly simple to get tickets for the speedboat to the Gili islands. You can easily arrange the transfer with either your hotel or a booking agent. The cost is cheaper when you book return tickets and can cost anything from 500000 return, when you depart from Seminyak, or you could pay 700000 from Canggu/Ubud.

Arriving at Gili Air.

No cars on the islands.

So pure and calm.

Breath taking views.

There are three different islands of Lombok and they all have a different vibe, thus make sure to choose the correct one that will suit your needs. Gili Trawangan is mainly for the party people and this island is the biggest one out of the 3. It is packed with young backpackers taking advantage of the islands’ nightlife activities. Sure there is also a lot to do for people that don’t want to party but just be warned that you will be surrounded by raging drunk people having a good time. The accommodation options are either broken compass backpackers or if you are a group of people you can easily bargain a private room at a really low rate. We managed to pay 300000 for 3 people in one room with our own bathroom and AC.

Little boats for little people.

Nice place to dive?

Begadang hostel.

The bungalow dorms.

To get from Gili T to Gili Air is just as easy. They have regular fast boats departing every hour and it will take more or less 10 minutes. The boat ride will cost you 100000. You can take a horse and carriage ride to the pier if your accommodation is to far to walk. The beauty of these islands is that there are no cars allowed on the island. Only bicycles, horses and e-bikes will be seen during your stay. Sure makes for a super laid back environment and society.

Mushroom pool.. hahaha

Indonesian woman working hard.

Not un common to see a sign like this.

Bungalows in the nature. So pretty.

I really like Gili Air since it is the best of both worlds. You can have a party when you want to or aim for calm and tranquility. I also dove a few times with Manta divers, they were really professional and I would highly recommend them. I saw lots of sea animals on every dive and I even got to see the rare blue ring octopus. Apparently this is like the Holy Grail in diving. Turtles. White tip reef sharks and manta rays entertained us all. I stayed at Bedagang backpackers during my stay on Gili Air, paid 140000 for a mixed dorm with AC. You can pay 100000 and rough it; you will sleep outside on a mattress under a mosquito net. I would recommend renting a bicycle for 30000 a day to get around, it might take you a while the get from the sunset side to the sunrise side.

Boats everywhere.

Simple restaurants but nice.

Mmmm sweet thing.

Cruising around on bikes.

There are so many nice places to eat; Mowies is the one restaurant you should not give a miss. Their food is extremely fresh, tasty and cheap. The other restaurants you should try are, the Mexican kitchen, Safaris, Bell Air, Chill Out and Waterfront. Coffee and thyme have amazing coffee and cakes and right next to it you can have amazing Gelato. For the other goodies that you can eat or drink, which will make you feel super happy if you know what i mean, Smile bar or Luckys is the place. Rent a see through kayak for one day, 120000 per hour, and enjoy the scenery around you.

Manta ray.

First time I saw a sea snake.

Eeeelllllll!!!

Selfie with a turtle.

If you have time it would only make sense to continue onward to Lombok and then to Flores and Komodo Island. I will have to return one day and do these activities properly. Next I took a boat back to Bali and went to Seminyak to catch my flight home. We stayed at M hostel and paid 150000, it was very centrally located and included breakfast. The beach at seminyak is massive and I would recommend you to enjoy a sunset drink and listen to live music. Potato head is a good spot to hang out and have drinks with friends. Sky garden is a must at night. They have a all you can eat buffet and drink as much as you can from 5-9pm and you only pay 100000. Make sure to be there in advance to reap the benefits of this special. At night it gets packed with people and seem like the party place to be at. The shopping in Seminyak is great and treat yourself to one of the best burger I ever had on my travels at Whacko burger. Uber is a super efficient way to get around since the taxis can get expensive.

Friendzzzz…

The awesome dive gang.

Such a great dive.

See through bottom kayak.

So much fun.

Getting real festive.

All in all, Bali is a great place to spend time on your holiday. It is very versatile and cheap and I can’t wait to go back and explore more of the country. It was time to embark on my long journey home and finish this amazing travelling stint I had. Please still follow my writings I will do from time to time as I will hopefully still travel in the near future.

Sure we will make it? 😉

Night dive exploration.

The old famous star fish.

Night dive.

The famous blue ring octopus. So hard to find them. Lucky me.

And one more time.

White tip reef shark.

Getting real close.

Secret garden at night Seminyak.

and that’s a warp.
xx

Much love.

xx

This one is for the ladies, only.

So before I start, boys if you were curious and still want to read this, be my guest. On one condition if you promise to share this information with your fellow lady friends.

This topic will cover something that we, as women, have to deal with on a monthly basis. It concerns our well being first and fore mostly, but you will also see that it will save you a lot of money and are hassle free.

I would like to introduce to you, the Mooncup. It sound extremely strange and looks a little bit odd but I would urge every woman to first try it and then if it works for you make the switch from tampons to a Mooncup. Not only are tampons super expensive they are also filled with bad chemicals and are not reliable.

The Mooncup has a few benefits, which was impossible to look over. Such as you can wear it for up to 12 hours at a time. This is ideal especially when you are doing sports or travelling for long distances at a time. It is also cheaper because the Mooncup has a longer lifetime span than tampons ;-). You can expect to pay more ore less R350 or $30 for a mooncup, but this cup will last 5-10 years, if you take care of it properly. It is also much healthier; our bodies will not be exposed to all the chemicals that are used to produce tampons. And lastly, gone are the days of “leakage”. At first it might be hard to insert it properly but you will manage to get the hang of it and reap the benefits.

Right, well that is it. I found out about the product 4 years ago but only made the move 2 months ago, and I wished I chose to try it earlier in my life. If you are a user already and know the benefits, please task the time to inform your fellow girls about it. They will thank you for it. You can buy the product online and they will have more information on the website if you still have questions. Try Diva Cup in America and Butterfly wings in South Africa.

All of the best.

XX

Most common travel apps used.

After traveling for more than a year, I have learned a few things and met a few people that had some cool apps which I didn’t even knew exist. I know for a fact that some of them would have made a big difference to the whole travel experience. I decided to compile a short list of the apps that I think would be useful when you make the choice to go travel.

Accommodation:

Hostelworld: This is where you can find reallyg cheap deals for hostels

Hostelbookers; This is where you can find really cheap deals for hostels.

Hostelscombined: This is where you can find really cheap deals for hostels.

Booking.com: A broad selection of options from cheap hostels to expensive hotels.

Airbnb: A app where you can stay in someone house and rent a room or rent the whole apartment for a day or an extended period.

Couchsurfing: Free local accommodation based on prior arrangement by either party through the app.

Food and drinks:

Untapped: Gives you a list of all the places to have beers

Happy cow: List all the vegan restaurant in the area.

Four Square: List all good coffee shops around you

Happy hour: List all the bars that have happy hour.

Travel Planning:

Skyscanner: List all the flight options

Kayak: List all flight options

Tripit: Keeps all your documents in one place

Communication:

Facebook messenger: Send messages or call friends.

Whatsapp: Send messages or call friends, good for group chats.

Skype: Video calling family and friends.

Meeting people:

Tinder: Let you know who is in your close surrounding, can lead to romance

Couchsurfing: Meet up with locals.

Travelbuddies: Can meet people to travel with.

Triptogether: Can meet people to travel with.

Meet up:Can meet people to travel with.

Getting around:

Google maps: Useful to have, can safe one route offline

Mapsme: The favorite. You can safe a map of a country offline.

Uber: Cheap taxi service

Music and audiobooks

Spotify: Download music and save it offline. Great for bus rides.

Audible: Can download audiobooks onto your phone.

Activities:

Tripadvisor: Good for advise on activities

Lonelyplanet: Good for advice on activities

Cost calculator:

XE currency: Convert your currency into local currency to know true value of money

Venmo: Great to account cost for when traveling in groups.

Journal:

Notes: Good to jot down travel tips.

Day one: An app with picture base to remember the memories made.

Picture sharing:

Air drop: Good for iphone users

Instagram: Great to share your pics

Dropbox: Good to store pictures on the web

Snapseed: Storing pictures.

Language :

Duolingo: To learn the language before you travel to a country.

Mesmerize: To learn the language before you travel to a country

Dictionaries: Can download dictionaries to translate for you

Wordlens: Translate phrases when scanned over the sentence or word.

 

I personally used maybe 70% of the apps mentioned. Some of them might not float your boat, but hey it is good to know what is featuring currently. If you have any other apps you found useful please don’t hesitate to comment and we can keep each other updated.

Much love.

x

 

 

Bali, from Canggu – Ubud.

Mexican brekkie at beetlenut.

Being in limbo with what to do with my life, I decided that Bali would be a nice spot to visit while I figure things out. I flew from Singapore to Bali for more or less $80. It is of course much cheaper when you purchase your tickets in advance. The flight was 2 and half hours long. Things are pretty crazy in Bali and can be a shock to the system if you arrive from civil countries. They are going to bombard you at the airport, offering you taxi rides etc. To avoid the craziness just book a cab once you leave the exit doors with Blue Bird Company. They are reliable and will charge you 300000 to most spots you are planning on going to.

Surf hostel sign.

Old mans Beach

Rice field right next to the hostel.

Street art en-route the hostel.

Only in Indo.

I went to Canggu first, and booked Canggu surf hostel in the cab on the way there. They are pretty central and pretty nice hostel. I paid 140000 for a 4 bed mixed dorm. They have 2 nice pools and a chill area to hang out. The hostel is a little bit hard to spot since the only sign they have is a painted surfboard next to the road, not that easy to spot. You have to rent a scooter while in Canggu, it is much more convenient and nearly impossible to get around with out one unless you are happy to bum rides the whole time. The motorbike cost usually 50000 per day, but if you rent it for longer you can haggle them down to 35000 a day for 2 weeks, or even 600000 for a month.

More street art.

Rice field for days.

I could easily life here.

Workers in the field.

I really liked Canggu, there was beaches with beginners waves. Old mans is the spot to be at if you are a newbie at surfing. It is a nice wave and gentle. You can rent the board at the beach for 50000 for the whole day. Echo beach and Berawa beach are on either side of old mans and is a little bit better for more seasonal surfers. To get from the hostel to old mans beach you have to cross this pathway that is surrounded by rice paddies and it will blow your mind it is that pretty.

Surfer girl.

Temple at Old mans beach.

Can get pretty crowded.

Getting around on scooters.

The scenic road.

More rice fields.

Lady working in the field.

The food is even better in this place. It’s like heaven; you can surf all day and then eat to get your energy back. Cafes such as Beetlenut Cafe, Crate, Deus ex Machina have amazing food. You can also eat at local spots such as Bo Mi warung, which is real cheap, and have a wide selection of home cooked Indonesian food. All of the food are locally sourced and made with tons of love. Your belly will thank you as much as your body will thank you after a surf session.

Sunrise.

Sunset at berawa beach.

The most beautiful drive you’ll ever have.

The scenery around you.

Naga fruit bowl at beetlenut.

At night it is a sleepy town. Most restaurants close at 9 and then you can entertain yourself at a local skate park, Pretty Poison, which gets busy some nights. Old mans can also kick it off especially on Fridays. On Tuesdays you have taco tuesday Tattoos at Deus Ex machina. Yes, you read right. If you order the taco dish you can get a free tattoo. Don’t go there with a plan to get a giant dragon, they only allow 20min per person. Life music will also play at some places on the same street.

Crate cafe.

Amazing brekkie.

Salad at Beetlenut.

I had a really good friend that I met in New Zealand a couple of months back visit me in Canngu. After a few days we decided to drive to Ubud where he was staying with scooters. It is a little tricky driving in Bali on scooters, but once you have the skills and confidence I think it is much more effective. The drive there was a little crazy but so pretty. Ubud is a nice place and full of yoga vibes. You have the famous Yoga barn studio here, and there are tons of schools hosting teachers’ training. They have static dance sessions every Friday and Sunday and you have to go one time. Ubud is famous for the rice field and it is worth a visit to drive there and take it the surrounding outside of the town. You can also do a coffee tasting, where little furry animals called “Luwak” eat the coffee beans and then poop them out. This gives the coffee a complete different taste. Kind of gross but still pretty tasty.

Ubud centre.

Tegalalang rice field.

Tea and coffee tasting.

Offerings everywhere.

Follow natures advice.

Most of the touristy places in Bali has tons of expats living there and they all bring these crazy cool ideas to the place, hence why all the yummy restaurants. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to the dessert room one night, safe some room though, the entire pun intended. It is a gourmet restaurant specializing in exotic desserts and honestly it is worth the price. You can also order a tasting menu for 2 people, although we were 3, and then you have a smaller size of all 9 desserts they have to offer on the menu. You are going to have a few mouth orgasms; it’s honestly the best sweet things I ate in a long while.

Room for dessert.

Echo beach art.

Pretty poison at night.

The crowd just chilling.

From a different view.

You can also try Vespa cafe, Clear cafe, Soma, Alchemy, Elephant cafe, Mama Mia pizzeria and Anomali coffee shop. It is honestly filled with real healthy food places and it’s a very health conscious town so you will feel super fresh and super recharged.

Salad at Soma Cafe.

Flower art at Clear cafe.

After my short visit in Ubud, I decided to head back to Canggu to collect my back before I make my way to Gili Air for diving.

Malaysia in 2 days.

It was time to move on after my amazing time in Thailand with my mom, next stop was Kuala Lumpur. I chose to travel by bus from Koh-Samui since all of the flight tickets were super expensive. The journey was long but worth it. I left the island 6 am in the morning by taking a van to the port. From the port we took a ferry to Surat Thani, where we continued with the van to the border. I hopped onto another bus after waiting 2 hours. We made our way to the border control post and it went pretty smooth crossing from Thailand to Malaysia.

China Town early the morning.

The bus journey wasn’t to bad and we had descent declinable seats in which we could make ourselves as comfortable as we could. The bus pulled into the bus station in KL at 5 am the morning. To get from the bus station to the where the hostel was, you had to take a sky train. They only operate from 6 am and I was tired and wanted to get to sunshine beds hostel for a shower and rest. I was lucky to meet this amazing local who saw how distraught and lost I looked and offered to give me a lift to my hostel. And yes I know you should not get in the car with any stranger but there was something about his mannerism that I trusted in. If you let the world surprise you, you will see there are all kinds of good amongst the bad.

Early morning food prep.

Street art and a local in Petaling street.

Loving the street art.

After check in, I showered and relaxed a bit before I got ants in my pants and just wanted to go and explore the city. The city doenst come alive until maybe 10 am in the morning since most stores stay open so late. Don’t make the same mistake I made going to China Town 7 am, unless you like the quit side of things and want to see the locals scurrying around finding spots to eat their breakfast at before heading to work. There is some cool street art, which I think has a better effect in the morning light.

Sleeping while waiting for customers.

The busy street selling all sorts of random things.

More clothes for sale.

I kind of just strolled around the city getting lost in the street and finding my way. I stumbled upon the old city clock, the Saltun Abdul Samad building and the big field of grass in the middle of the city. Which the president decided to keep untouched as a spot for locals to come and hang at and enjoy some nature. This is where the tallest flag is mounted as a sign of independence that took place in  the 60’s. There’s also music museum and the famous “ I love KL “ sign. The textile museum is close by if that’s what you are interested in.

Locals selling flowers for offerings.

Hindu temple.

The famous patch of grass.

The Saltan building.

Flag representing independence.

I didn’t bother too much with museums this time around but of course I got lost in the central market, window-shopping and looking at art. I even got threading done for my eyebrows. Which hurt like hell. After taking it all in I made my way back to Petaling road, China Town, and it was a whole different scene than the morning. I was busy with tons of things for sale and people bargaining. It is definitely worth a visit.

The famous Kl sign.

The city I got lost exploring.

Petaling road.

Central market.

By this time I was knackered and caught the bus back to the hostel. End up taking a different root back and stopped of at a few spot drinking coffee and eating lunch. I got back at the hostel and rest up before I wanted to go and see the spectacular Petronas towers. I walked there from the hostel, through the mall, was a nice evening stroll. They are pretty amazing and I spent a few hours taking photos.

Petaling road.

The Petronas tower.

On my return back to the hostel I met up with my American friend for dinner at the street food market – Jalan Alor. There was so many choices it’s crazy. You’ll just have to go with your gut instinct and choice the place you like the most because they are all very similar. We just walked around and had little nibbles.

Water park fun with the boys.

Slides for days.

I even tried the wave pool.

The next day we decided to go to the Sunway Lagoon theme water park. We bought the tickets online before we went there and it was a lot cheaper than at the gate. We caught an uber taxi to take us there. We had so much playing like kids in the park. Honestly you can spend the whole day there just having fun and letting go. I had a blast with 2 friends from the hostel, such good times. I even joined them to the visit the Petronas towers again that night. After we took photos we went to have a drink at the sky tower. That was just as much fun. The drinks are a little expensive but they have Wednesday night ladies night, make sure to go then.

Sky bar with the pool.

Sky bar.

The group having fun dancing.

Drinks… whooohooo

Playing with photography.

The shopping and food is amazing in Kuala Lumpur. Next time I go back I would like to spend a little bit more time in the city, drinking pretty cappuccinos and buying nice clothes. Other things that I did not get to do, but that’s recommended are the Batu Caves, Bird Park and the Aquarium.

Fountain outside a shopping mall.

Singapore in 2 days.

I took the bus early in the morning from Malaysia to Singapore which depart everyday regularly. It cost me more or less $10 and it was a very comfortable bus with reclining seats and AC. The bus journey took 6 hours in total and they were very prompt.We had one stop to buy food before we headed to the border. The crossing from Malaysia to Singapore border went pretty smoothly and was hassle free. Once we’ve completed the whole process we made our way to the golden mill drop off.

Colorful building near little India.

Street art.

China town

Ice kachang.

My friend picked me up from the bus stop and I stayed with him and his family for 2 days. It was a great experience to do local homestay and safe some money, since Singapore is an expensive Asian country.The first day we decided to explore little India. We went there for brunch and it was a good little reminder of my time in India. I couldn’t help myself and I got a legit chai tea and chana masala with a garlic naan. After the meal we walked around and did some shopping in the Indian street stores. They had my favorite facial product that I like to use (Himalaya) in stock and purchased some stock in advance.

China town decoration.

Buddhist temple.

Great architecture.

Outside of the temple.

We walked around the neighborhood and just took in all the busy shops and streets. We enjoyed the scenery but soon made our way to china town. The main modes of transport for the 2 days were busses and trains. Their public transportation system is very efficient and super easy to figure out. You can purchase this Ezlink travel card with credit on it and use the card for getting on the bus and trains. You can get the credit at any 7-11 or railway station kiosk. The railway system is well indicated and on time.

Inside of the temple.

Aidan looking at the art.

Nice art.

Serious face.

We got off in china town and continued wandering around. It was a pretty cool place to hang around for the afternoon and have a snack. After we visited the oldest Hindu temple, which was build in the 1800’s, we treated ourselves to this local dessert. The dessert is called ice kachang and is made off crushed ice shaped into a cone, drizzled with palm sugar syrup and sweet corn on the top. It is absolutely delightful and one must try this as a refreshing mid day snack.

Decorative streets.

Hindu temple.

Hindu temple.

Local food, carrot cake and oyster omelette.

Singapore at night.

The Buddhist temple right next to china town is just as spectacular. The exterior structure and roof are all made of wood and have an amazing design to it. The inside is filled with beautiful paintings and descriptions of the art. We made our way to the railway station and got off at the harbor front at vivo city mall.We watched the sunset from the street overlooking the city next to the art exhibition. This is such a spectacular place to visit and take in the surroundings whilst relaxing. The whole of Singapore is very organized and clean and this is a nice out door place to enjoy the view.Our dinner was at the local market just around the corner and we had tofu satay, tahu goreng, which was to die for.

The art museum at night.

Street food.

Tofu and satay sauce.

Inside of the mall.

The last day was dedicated towards spending time at the art museum. We enjoyed the exhibition thoroughly and had a blast with the art stuff inside. The tickets cost $15 per person, make sure to purchase them online because they are cheaper if you get them before you head to the art museum.

Roof top view.

The ferris wheel view.

Gardens at the bay.

We had a great time learning about new things and we were pleased with the visit. We were ready to make our way to the sky tower to see the sunset and the city transform from night to dark time. It cost us $25 per person and we stayed there for at least 3 hours. There is a bar where you can enjoy drinks at but make sure that you are dressed smart casually.

Amazing building.

You can see all of Singapore, such as the art museum and the Ferris wheel and the gardens at the bay. Its very colorful and the whole city comes alive at night. The Ferris wheel ride last more or less an hour if you are considering doing that, not to sure what the price is. Gardens at the bay is for free and you can stroll through all the little paths that lead you along these giant wire trees with greenery covering their base and trunk and lights on the branch part.

Gardens by the bay.

You can easily spend a few hours and soak up all the goodness while relaxing. Maybe cycling or skateboarding through the park would be nice. They have a food court as well where you can have local food and drinks in between.It was a perfect 2 days spend in Singapore with a great friend and I was really impressed and pleased that I have visited this city. I am sure there are loads more that I did not discover, but like all places will safe it for next time I visit Singapore.

Fun at the art museum.

Although it is expensive for Asia it is totally worth it and be prepared to eat your way through the city, that’s pretty much what it is about with such a melting pot city.

El Nido – Boracay

The next stop of my journey was at Palawan where I planned on visiting El Nido and Coron. I caught a flight from Cebu to Puerta Princessa. Theres the underground river tour that is an unesco sight in Puerto Princessa if you are interested in visiting that. It is a day tour and costs 1500 pesos. I did not do this tour because I was running out of time. 

El Nido streets by day. 

Boat crew day 1. 

Local catching squid

You can buy fish to cook for lunch

Locals waiting for daily business to take place

I got a van from Puerto Princessa to El Nido for 450 pesos. It takes more or less 5-6 hours to get to the north of the island. There are several places to choose from to stay in El Nido. We stayed in Cottage Cliffside Guesthouse. It was 3 of us sharing a 3 bedroom place for 250 pesos/person for a night. It was fairly close to all the main activities. We arrived late at night and got a massive shock when we were walking home after dinner and realized there was a massive cliff towering over our cottage… hence the name. 

View of the first beach we visit

beautiful beaches. 

White sand and green trees

Blue water and nature

breath taking beauty

There is loads to do during the day and the most popular things are Day trips on a boat to hidden beaches and secret islands. You pay 1200 pesos with lunch and snorkel rental included and the trip lasts from 9-4pm usually. Tour A and Tour C are two favorite tours companies, so if you have limited time I would suggest to do either one of these. I booked my tour through OMP hostel, since I heard they had good staff and food. The other companies might charge less but they might not be as friendly and helpful. 

Lunch served during our boat trip. 

View after climbing one of the cliffs

beautiful place honestly 

Happy days

On a day off from boats you can rent a motorbike or scooter for 400pesos a day and cruise around the island. There is a nice beach 30 min drive from the town of El Nido called Nac Pan beach and its pretty special. Really beautiful and tranquil. 

Boats and cliffs

perfect beach to relax

Visiting a holy place

El Nido has cheap options for food such as kapteins diner or you can get local filipino food. There is also beach bbq for 200 pesos. You can choose to have any type of seafood and get rice and vegetables included. At night time you have the option to karoake at a karoake bar or go to reggea bar on the beach where things are happening. Its a pretty small town and not to many options for night life. 

Nac Pan beach

Nature soaking up the rain

Locals transporting their animals

To get from El Nido to Coron one catch a boat for 1200 pesos and it takes you more or less 8 hours. Its a small boat and can take only 70 passengers maximum. It is sometime very fickle with their departures thus be prepared for an extended trip in El Nido if the boat gets cancelled or are fully booked. 

Finding Nemo

Great view

Floating in the most tranquil place

Blue water, white sandy beaches

The next day I did tour A which cost 650 pesos. They take you on a boat trip with lunch included and you get to explore the beautiful scenery in Coron. There are two lakes that are a must see and they are included in tour A and tour B. If you are short on time and have cash you can do the ultimate tour which takes you to all the good spots in one day and cost 1200 pesos. 

The helicopter island

Holding star fish whilst snorkeling.

Boat trip to Coron.

Mountain range in Coron

View of the lake

Little fish in the lake.

I had a flight booked from Busanga to Manila to make my way to Boracay via Kalibo. It was a long travelling day and to get to Boracay from Manila you have a few options. You can either fly from Busanga straight to Boracay for 4000 pesos on a small charter plane, or you could fly from Busanga to Caticlan which costs more or less 7000 pesos or you have to fly from Busanga to Manila to Kalibo. Kalibo is an international airport that an hour and half bus ride away from Caticlan.

Local prepping his daily catch.

Cigarette and all in the mouth. 

Boats and blue water

Day trip in Coron

Sunset in Coron.

The simple life playing in buckets

Such friendly kids.

Beauty.. 

That innocent face. 

Walk way between the houses.

Once you arrive in Caticlan you can take a boat across to Boracay which takes 10 mins. South West is a good company that helps you with travel plans from the airport to your hotel. They cost 500 pesos for all transport to get you from Kalibo aiport to your hostel. It is very convenient after you have travelled far to get to Boracay. 

Lunch prep on the boat in Coron

Lunch is served. 

Narrow paths between houses in Coron.

Lake in Coron

Boracay beach view

Rock formation at Boracay

Boracay is very touristy thus things are easy to get and its fairly easy to get around. There are tons of resorts to choose from and loads of restaurants. The beach is divided in 3 sections. Station 1 is a bit more exclusive and thats where all the resorts are and less vendors. Station 2 is the party section with all the bars and restaurants. There is everything you will need or could think about. And station 3 is where it gets a little bit cheaper.

Palm trees for days.

Sunset in Boracay

Halloween in Boracay

The kite surf beach is on the other end of the white beach. You can get a tricycle to get around, a good spot to watch sun set is at Spider Bar which is on the other side of station 1 beach. Its a really nice place on the cliff with a good view. The hostel I stayed at had tan beds available for free and you have free wifi on the beach as well. 

Prepping for halloween.

Halloween sand art.

I spent halloween in Boracay and they go all out on this island with decorations everywhere. It has pretty crazy parties most days and it is a good way to get the partying out of your system. 😀 There are also island tours and boat rides you can take to explore the island. There is a really good cliff jump point called Ariels and it is meant to be pretty amazing. 😀

Sunset Boracay.

Boats and sunsets.

Boracay by day. 

My time was short in the Philippines  considering the amount of places I saw and the remaining ones I still want to see, but it was a great trip with loads of adventures and I would highly recommend everyone to come and visit paradise. 

The Philippines is fairly expensive compared to other Asian countries and the travel time takes up a lot of your days to explore, it is difficult too because there are so many islands and you have to take long boat rides to access them. All in all it is seriously beautiful. 

I am in love with… Life!!

After taking some time to reflect upon this year and think about the New Year, I had this sudden realization that I am utterly and completely in love with life. I look forward to every day whether good or bad. I get these crazy butterflies whenever I experience something amazing or cool.

Now its not all the time big things but mainly the small things that seem to excite me. And yes I am able to contribute a lot of it due to my one-year of adventure, but it’s not all that, it is about your attitude and your viewpoint as well.

I have learned soooo much over the last year and one of the most important life lessons is that you don’t find yourself, you have to create yourself every day. Every day is a choice. You choose what you believe in, what define you and what you will allow to build you up or break you down.

Since it’s that time of the year where we usually make a whole long list of things I want to be. This year instead I am going to focus on all the things I am grateful for and for giving more. Since I am so in love with life, and when you are in love you seem to give your all, I am going to give more of myself to the world. Striving towards having more patience, more kindness, more love. I am going to continue this journey of becoming the best version of myself I can possibly be because I feel I owe it to the world.

I want to choose every day to have a good day, to be grateful for all I’ve got and as they say less is more. I want to have less in order to give more. Mostly I want to give more of my time and more or my energy and more of my resources.

Lets see what 2016 will turn out to be according to our own hearts desires.

Happy New Year everyone and have a splendid time.

Much love.

xx

Vang- Vieng to Luang Prabang.

After I checked in at Easy Go Hostel (25000 per night) I decided to spend the next day walking around town deciding what to do for the next few days. I ended up meeting this awesome girl from Australia and she is married to a local guy. They own an amazing Mexican restaurant named Los Amigos. We had so much in common and she invited me to spend the rest of the day with the expat community chilling at the pool.

The mountainous region in Vang Vieng.

The streets by day.. So simple.

Everywhere you can get these street food stalls and they have super cheap and yummy baguettes.

The famous baguette. Descent size I would say.

All of them were working at the bars next to the river where you can go and do the tubing. Pretty much what tubing is about: you rent a tube for 110,000 (50,000 as a deposit you get back once you return the tube) they drive you upstream a few kilometres of the Mekong river and then you float down the river on this tube for a few hours until you reach the end point at town. Unfortunately people tend to get too wasted and sometimes pass out on the tube and every year somebody dies on the river. It’s such a pity that this happens but when there are alcohol and drugs involved you need to be aware of the dangers you can get yourself into. Becuase somebody died 2 days before I arrived, it was unfortunately closed for tubing down the river, but this meant that the expats could have some time off due to the bars being closed off. Hopefully they will implement security measures in place to stop this incident from recurring.

The tubers heading back to town.

The last stop to get off with the tubes.

Tubing with mates.

The sunset in Vang Vieng is spectacular.

That night I went to Sakura bar. From 8-9pm you get free drinks, the option is a local whiskey with any mix. This is a good start to the evening and if you buy 2 drinks of any hard liquor and mix, you get a free tank top. The tank has a saying on the back that goes like this: drink triple, see double, act single. You will see this shirt all over Asia being worn by most backpackers that has passed through this town.

This is a common site, especially in the mornings and afternoons.

The moon still in the sky during my morning hot air balloon trip.

Prepping the balloon.

The view early in the morning.

You might want to put a day aside to nurture your hangover because it can get quite messy in this town with loads of bars selling all sorts of stuff. After you have cured the hangover a good day activity could be to rent a scooter or a bike and cruise around exploring the caves, waterfalls and blue lagoon. It’s pretty touristy but it well worth a visit. If you are brave and want to make the most of the day you must book a hot air balloon for either the morning or afternoon. It is the cheapest ($80) place to experience this amazing excursion and you should not miss out on it. I enjoyed it thoroughly… even with a hangover.

Our pilot communicating with down below.

Sunrise, Oh how I do love you.

Love this.

Finishing just in time for the next group.

On my last day I went on the half-day rock-climbing trip with Adams Rock Climbing School. They were really helpful and showed me heaps. The half day trip cost me 180,000 and I know there are some other cheap tour operators but just make sure their equipment is all in descent condition since your life depends on this.

Rock climbing selfie.

Waterfall and rainbows and crowds.

The better spot to swim at at the same place. more quiet.

Gotta love rainbows

We each got more or less 4 times a chance to climb out the rock surface and it was a good beginners spot to try it out and see if you liked it.

Waterfall. Tourist just chilling.

Blue waters.

Sunlight and waterfalls. mid arvo pic.

The next day I took a minivan for 100,000 to Luan Prabang. The ride up there was super beautiful and very windy. It took us 3 and half hours to reach the bus stop, and from there we had to pay 20,000 for a tuk tuk ride into center of town. They don’t drop you off at your place to stay so you’ll have to walk and find it. There are a few hostels you could stay at, I stayed at Central Backpacker for 50,000 a night, breakfast included. The other good hostel with a pool is Kounskaven but you need to book in advance because they are a bit busy.

Sunset Luang Prabang.

More waterfall.. to good not to share.

Crazy cat. View from the top of the waterfall.

Lat one I promise.

The view on the ride to the waterfall..

Locals carrying products.

Luang Prabang is a nice town with an epic night market. Bring spare cash and space because you can literally find anything here. The food is spectacular as well and you can eat for 15,000 a night easy peasy. They have a side road filled with food stalls and you can choose what you want to fill your bowl up with. So good and so healthy. The waterfall is just as spectacular. Seriously one of the best waterfalls in Asia, you should not miss this. You can take a tuk tuk there or rent a scooter for 90,000 a day if you rent it for a few days or 120,000 for one day. The ride there is more or less 40 min and you get to see the countryside.  You have to pay entrance of 20,000 and you can spend easily 5 hours there if you take some lunch with you.

Kids playground and temples. Only in Asia.

Looks like fun to me.

Sunset over Luang Prabang.

Nice old streets with french influence.

Temples.

We decided to rent scooters for 3 days and venture a bit out of town. We paid 90,000 per day. You need to bargain hard to get the price down from 120,000 per day and don’t tell them you are leaving town otherwise they won’t let you go on the rented the scooter. We chose to go to Nong Khiaw and it was a 4 hour plus journey with the scooter there. It’s a beautiful ride and you get to explore tons of different things on the way. It’s a nice town where you can take part in lots of activities such as hiking and kayaking.

Night market goodness.

So many options.

Papaya salad.. mmmm

Lanterns for sale. So pretty.

It rained the whole morning and in the afternoon we drove in the rain in an attempt to make the loop. We did not complete the loop and had to turn around and go back to town. It was a nice reward to get a traditional Laos massage after an herbal sauna experience. The Indian food in town was just as delicious.

More market dishes.

It was his good worth sharing.

My favorite lady.

The next day we drove back to Luang Prabang just in time to catch my night bus to Vientiane to head on over to Thailand and meet up with my mom for 3 weeks.  Laos I find is a super friendly down to earth country and still has some authenticity to it. It hasn’t caught on to the whole tourist trap as much yet, thank goodness.

Kids en-route to the village.

 

Just your ordinary drive up north.

Trying to take pics whilst driving.. oops.

View of the river.

Our fav eating spot. Alex.

Scooter and rain.

Goat in the road.

Kids in the rain. Admiring tourist.

Buddha park Vientiane.

Buddha Park.

Don det – Thakhek loop.

Crossing the border from Cambodia to Laos didn’t seem to much of a hassle. We took the bus from Kratie to Stung Treng and from there to the border. Once we arrived at the border we paid for the visa and it was processed in half hour. Each nationality has to pay a different amount so don’t be worried when you have to pay more or less than the other travellers. If you had your visa done before hand you still have to pay tax for the border post, which was $15 I think. Once you have crossed the border you will catch another bus to the town where you catch a boat from to get to Don Det, 4000 islands.

Crossing the border by foot between Cambodia and Laos.

Little islands everywhere. Restaurant right on the mekong.

The awesome place I stayed at for 3 days.

Be aware of the scam that they run in Siem Reap. They say that you pay for all transportation all the way to Don Det but this is not the case since they don’t have an agreement with the Laos people. It’s only when you come from Kratie or Stung Treng where the ticket is valid.

Kittens hanging aound all day.

The chill out zone and Dane.

Little cool house I stayed at in the background.

Morning sunrise at Shangri La.

If you arrive by day everything is a bit cheaper but if you arrive by night it will cost a little more. The boat ride cost 40,000 kip per person and it takes 15-20min. Once you arrive at Don Det you can walk and find accommodation or if you booked online you can find it easily. The bungalows cost anything from 50,000 kip per night and there is one hostel called Easy Go Hostel on the island, which is 25,000 kip per night. There is a sunset and sunrise side to the island and they advice if you want to sleep in rather stay at the sunset side, if you are an early riser the sunrise side will do you well.

Locals crossing the river.

At the waterfall with Mr Mo.

Ready for kayaking.

My team mate from Germany.

The island is super chilled with loads of cafes and restaurant to hang out and rest after your travels through Laos or before your travels. There are 3 main islands of 4000 islands to hang out but Don Det is the one for backpackers. Partially the reason why everyone is so chilled is due to the fact that they have easy access to weed. When at the restaurant you can order anything from space cakes to smoothies with a twist.

Kayaks pulled up while we have lunch.

Passing a local guy fishing. All smiles.

Me at the waterfall.

If you are keen for some adventure you can go on a kayak trip for the day. Mr Mo is a very reliable guide and he takes you to the waterfalls as part of his trip. Lunch is included and the tour cost 180,000 kip. Definitely worth it since you get to go through some rapids and end the day with a sunset kayak cruise.

Passing some buffalos on the way to the waterfall.

Another buffalo surprise.

Scouting for river dolphins.

Sunset kayak cruise.

 

If this is too expensive you could rent a bicycle for 10,000 kip and cycle to the other island Koh Rong and see the waterfalls. You pay 30,000 for the entrance. On your cycle trip you should go to Shangri La and try their homemade ice cream for 7,000 kip and hang out with this awesome couple. If you ask them they will take you to the place where they swim in the river.

Motorbike road trip.

Caves and buddhas for days.

Beautiful place to explore.

Elephant cave.

After 3 days of chilling I decided to skip Pakse and make my way rather to ThaKhek. If you have time you should go to Pakse and do a motorbike loop of minimum 2 days. Here you get to see a lot of waterfalls and amazing scenery. At Tad Lo you should stay at Mamas Pop for the evening.

Too much fun.

More caves.

One of the bigger more touristy caves.

They even built steps for these caves.

I took the bus all the way to ThaKhek, which was supposed to take 9 hours but ended up taking 11 hours. The bus ticket cost me 180,000. I stayed at The Travellers Lodge – this is a great meeting point where you can join people to do the motorbike loop with. The accommodation cost 50,000 per night for a dorm which is a little steep but its very convenient to rent bikes from the guy next to reception. His bikes are in great condition and you can either rent them for 60,000 without insurance or 80,000 with insurance. When you have a problem with the bike and you didn’t take the insurance you have to fix it whereas if you took insurance they will come and fix it for you or carry the cost of the broken parts.

You can go on a boat trip in the big touristy cave..

Lunch for the day. yummm..

Lunch stop. What a view.

Overload..

The motorbike loop usually takes 3 days, if you are rushed, or 5 days if you take it easy. I decided to do it for 4 days that way I wasn’t to rushed. The loop starts with tons of caves; you can explore as well as a river to swim in. It’s super pretty and lots of fun. After 5 hours of driving and exploring you will arrive in a town called Tha Lang and stayed at Sabaidee Guest House. The dorm rooms cost 25,000 and the owners were very friendly and they make good food.

Made it to the guesthouse.

Day 2 started off with these trees in water as scenery.

Motorbike travel partner.

Dusty road.

The next day we set off to explore again and this day the road was very dusty and a little rough. Make sure to take a mouth cover of some sort with you this will make the ride more comfortable. In the main town we discovered an awesome market and decided to have lunch there and walk around. We saw all sorts of strange things to eat and really enjoyed seeing how the locals shop.

Fried bananas.

Home made pasta at the market.

The locals doing their thing cooking.

The market view.

After lunch we continued on the road and eventually we got to the cold springs. This place is amazing, try to spend some time here if this is what you like. We would have spent more time here if we knew that the waterfall wasn’t that nice. The waterfall is ok and you have to trek for half an hour to get there, which was nice. It’s not that big but it is still pretty. We stayed at a nice guesthouse and we paid 70,000 for a shared twin room. They also had really nice food.

Love fresh produce.

Fried rat anyone?

Dried meat and something I at first thought were bee hives. But wait for it.

It was worms..

 

Buying a pig at the market. What next?

Transporting it but on what?

Of course a scooter wit the whole family on it.

The next day we made our way to the Kongolor cave. This cave is the longest in the world and is 7km long. We took a boat ride through the cave, min 1 person and max 3 people can go on the boat. The cost is 100,000 flat rate for the boat and then extra 10,000 per person. Once we went through the cave they dropped us off at a village for half an hour where we had a drink and saw the remote village they live in.

Road to the cold springs.

Protection from the heat.

Entrance gate.

Cold spring view.

Such a pretty place.

After the caves you can either rest and drive the rest of the way the next day or you can make way to the closer guesthouse if you need to save time. We left to make way because we needed to catch a bus the next day. The drive was nice but a little long for one day. We stayed in a next town and slept in a shared room for 60,000.

At the Konglor caves.

Looks like New Zealand.

Inside the longest cave ever.

So amazing.

They say there’s a blue lagoon to explore as a last stop and we left early the next morning. We didn’t succeed at this mission because the road was to rocky and our bikes weren’t that advanced to cross these rough terrains. We turned around and said we would return next time with proper off road bikes to explore this lagoon. We made it back to town just in time to book bus tickets to out next destination.

Little secluded town on the other side of the cave.

Such a cool spot.

The caves entrance.

I paid 60,000 for my ticket to Vientienne and the ride took 7 hours. Once I arrived in Vientienne I had to take a tuk tuk for 30,000 to the next bus station where I got a mini van for 50,000 to Vang Vieng. The mini van ride took 3 and a half hours and by 10:30 pm I was at my destination. What a long day of travelling. If you aren’t in a rush you can break it up into 2 parts and rest at Vientienne.

 

Cold springs

Small sign we almost missed.

Lat stop at the market at the end of the loop..